Event sponsors attract young drinkers

Drinks brands associated with music and sports are most popular for coming-of-age drinkers in the US, a new study has revealed.

The sponsorship of large cultural events like American football is proving attractive to young consumers (Photo: Wiki)

The alcohol brands that were most popular to young and underage drinkers were “overwhelmingly associated… with integral aspects of American culture, including sports, music, the arts and entertainment,” according to the study published in the science journal Addiction.

Worried about the impact that sponsorship of cultural events has on encouraging underage teens to drink, the report said, “The most popular brands among underage drinkers were much more likely to associate their brands with these aspects of American culture than brands that were less popular among underage drinkers.”

However, it proves interesting reading to those companies interested in attracting all-important millenial consumers as they reach legal drinking age.

Researchers examined sponsorship of organisations and events in the United States by alcohol brands from 2010 to 2013, comparing them to the top 75 drinks brands among underage drinkers revealed by a national online survey.

The study, called Vested Interests in Addiction Research and Policy was led by a team from Boston University and John Hopkins University. It found that brands popular with young drinkers, such as Miller Lite, Miller Beers, and Jack Daniel’s, had high numbers of cultural sponsorships, compared to less popular brands.

Brands’ presence on social media and other popular websites is also proving important to attracting younger consumers.

Recently, a study revealed that beer companies with higher marketing spends on Youtube were found to have attracted much better coverage for their brands among younger consumers.

It revealed that beer brands spent a total of $23 million ($14.7m) on Youtube promotions this year, with Bud Light topping the list of big-spenders.